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0578

3
though they were engaged in the destruction of the tents, I soon after went down to see what was going on, and then I saw a crowd of men gathered. Some of them engaged in throwing the tents and their contents into a large fire - and a few others endeavoring to save it.  In the crowd standing around the fire - I encountered Mr. Philip H. Mewburn, who although not engaged himself was in full sympathy with the vandalism which he indicated in every way possible without actually engaging in it.  Having known him all my life, being a neighbor of my fathers and believing that a word from him would stop the vandalism - I went to him and remonstrated with him and endeavored to induce him to get the crowd to stop their work of destruction - but in vain - in a loud voice he declared they were going to wipe the negroes out - and declared his purpose to go gunning the next day after a former slave of Mr. Basel Hall who had given him some offence that evening, and that wherever he found him he was a dead man; he also declared that the negroes wanted to vote this fall, he said that they, the negroes, had been misled by bad men - I asked him if he thought they ought to be killed for being deceived - to which he replied that if about fifty of them damned abolitionists up there